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Hotel Drift House Revisited Words — Cassie Hansen Photography — Martina Gemmola Drift House Revisited Architecture firm Multiplicity has revisited a boutique hotel that it designed in the Victorian coastal town of Port Fairy and added a suite of luxurious new spaces. Right — As seen in suite six, galva- nized steel, carpet and timber create an unexpected but comforting mixture of materials and textures. 66—67 Artichoke Issue 66 Hotel Drift House Revisited For Multiplicity co-director Tim O’Sullivan, the but transformed – the door’s sidelights have been how Drift House is experienced – instead of having “ The two new suites have Victorian coastal town of Port Fairy has a certain pull. attached to the door to create one grand piece, with breakfast in their rooms, guests converge in the “I really like that feeling of driving a long way and a galvanized steel ring, the size of a steering wheel, Salon’s fourteen-seat dining area for a curated material ties to the original arriving somewhere that is slightly isolated. You get forming the inside door pull. Touchpoints like these are continental breakfast of local produce. Watkinson four but each has its own that feeling of community, because they have to make generous and comforting and guests find themselves prepares the breakfast spread and coffees in a small the community work for them as there is no quick drive running their hands over surfaces, inspecting details, kitchen tucked behind a raw timber screen. During character. All are connected to a city or major town,” O’Sullivan says. Historically and connecting with the building unwittingly. the rest of the day, guests might return to the Salon by a design sensibility that a fishing town and busy port, Port Fairy is dotted with Pull cord-operated lights, also used in the and plonk themselves down in the conversation pit magnificent nineteenth-century bluestone buildings and original four suites, are a delightful detail that is both for a glass of wine by the fireplace or to read a chapter responds to site and place.” humble cottages originally built by the whalers and nostalgic and novel. In suite five, a pivoting television or two of their latest book. Like the two new guest seamen of the 1800s. Today, many of those buildings unit, framed in galvanized steel with moveable plywood suites, materials in the Salon include concrete, still remain and the schools of fishermen and whalers shades to hide the screen away, allows guests to timber and galvanized steel. have been replaced with a mix of farmers, creatives interact and personalize the space. So too do the “Port Fairy isn’t a blingy sort of town. We want and families, attracted to the friendly and relaxed suite’s surfaces – carpet, used on walls and window Drift House to be perceived as luxury accommodation nature of Port Fairy. seats, gives softness, colour and acoustic attenuation. but luxury doesn’t mean it has to be really shiny and O’Sullivan and co-director Sioux Clark first The two new bathrooms are playful and memorable, really blingy. We wanted to create luxury with more visited Port Fairy in 2010 when they were tasked with with one featuring Burberry-esque tartan tiles alongside raw materials because it speaks more of the country,” converting an existing two-storey bluestone building sandstone salvaged from a local house demolition. O’Sullivan says. into a boutique hotel for their seachanger clients The other bathroom features opalescent hexagonal The final piece of the new suite of inter- John Watkinson and Colleen Guiney. The result was tiles in seaside shades: blues, greens and sandy tones. ventions is the reception space. Next to the house, Drift House, a four-suite luxury digs that received a In the tartan bathroom, the original fretwork of the a humble backyard shed (“you wouldn’t put your car commendation for heritage architecture at the 2014 hallway has been kept and floats over the shower. in there,” as O’Sullivan says) has been turned into the Victorian Architecture Awards as well as the Best At Drift House, guests are treated like reception space. “Guests often arrive slightly jaded Luxury Accommodation Award at the Qantas Australian friends – piles of books, cushions, radios, plants after a big day of sightseeing or a tough run at work, so Tourism Awards that same year. Drift House has been and flowers are peppered around the suites for we want to make sure that the Drift House experience a huge success and for many a local and international their comfort. “If you can make people respond to starts to weave its magic from the moment they arrive,” traveller it is a “must-do” at the end of their Great a space, then usually they’re a bit more caring about says Guiney. Multiplicity gutted the shed, polished the Ocean Road journey. So when the neighbours decided it. The intention is when people get to the space, concrete floors, exposed the trusses and created a it was time to sell, Watkinson and Guiney jumped at the they think they’re somewhere special and I think top-hung pivoting screen to the front door, transforming Following pages, clockwise, from chance to buy the property and expand Drift House. people take care of things a bit more when they it into a beautiful landing pad. left page to right — An open fireplace The three-bedroom Edwardian house they sense that,” O’Sullivan says. Drift House redefines what luxury accommo- in suite six speaks of the country setting and adds a sense of luxury. bought had been extended over the years with a The two new suites have material ties dation means. Here, luxury means restraint – yes, series of lean-tos. For this second stage of the Drift to the original four but each has its own character. there are clever architectural gestures everywhere Custom-made pull cord-operated House story, Multiplicity demolished the lean-tos and All are connected by a design sensibility that responds you turn, but it’s not heavy handed. Here, luxury lights are found in all of the rooms, as seen here in suite five. decreased the footprint back to that of the original to site and place. Learnings from the first four suites means trust – giving guests open fireplaces and building. Working with the generous height and volume meant changes to the new two – namely doing away premium linen and trusting they’ll care for it. And The two new bathrooms are of the space, Multiplicity removed many of the walls with the kitchenettes and instead creating a standalone here, luxury means attention to detail – from the playful and memorable. In suite five, tartan tiles feature alongside and used the southern side of the central hallway to meeting point for breakfast. The Salon is located at the architect, things like custom-made door pulls and salvaged sandstone. divide the house into two suites – suite five on the rear of the new lot and came about after Watkinson and sunny window seats, and from the client, things like northern side of the house and the longer and thinner Guiney found that their European guests visited with home-cooked “breakfast cake” and perfectly curated A pivoting television unit, seen here in suite five, allows guests to person- suite six on the southern. The original entry door, an expectation for a communal breakfast and a place to music playlists. Here, it seems, luxury is just a lovely alize the space. A window seat looks which now opens to suite five, has been retained drink at night. In many ways, the Salon has transformed drive away. A out to the Drift House grounds. 68—69 Artichoke Issue 66 Hotel Drift House Revisited 70—71 Artichoke Issue 66 Hotel Drift House Revisited Project — carpeted in Tretford Drift House ‘Olive Tang 699.’ 96 Gipps Street Custom-designed Port Fairy Vic 3284 door pulls. +61 3 5568 3309 Flooring: Suite five drifthouse.com.au and six floorboards are existing Baltic Design practice — pine, limewashed Multiplicity and tiles are Eco 337 Brunswick Road Outdoor ‘Beauford Brunswick Vic 3056 Sandstone.’ Salon and +61 3 9388 0790 reception flooring multiplicity.com.au are concrete slab, lightly polished. Project team — Lighting: Suite five Sioux Clark, Tim features Moet pendant O’Sullivan, Cimone from Mica Lighting, Mcintosh, Olivia Potter Barro wall light from Mondoluce and Mib 6 Time schedule — wall light from Nordlux. Above — In the Salon, the kitchen is tucked behind a timber screen, seen here Design, documentation: Suite six features Agnes on the right. A breakfast of local produce is served on the adjacent bench. 4.5 months Chandelier pendant, Construction: 1 year Agnes Sconce pendant and Agnes Sconce wall Builder — light, and Squad wall McLeod Homes light from Mondoluce. Salon features Mib wall Engineer — light from Nordlux and Holmes McLeod Squad track mount Consulting Engineering light from Mondoluce. Furniture: Suite five ESD — features EggCup table Energy Lab from Mark Tuckey, Iko Iko chair with tan cabin Cabinetmaker — leather from Jardan and Snaauws Kitchens custom-made bench Above — Rather than having breakfast in their rooms, guests are seats. Suite six features encouraged to eat together in the Salon’s dining area. Stonemason — Kelly chair from Jardan, Barry Knowles Belt bedside table from Mark Tuckey Products — and custom-made Walls and ceilings: benchseat. Salon Suite five and six features Featherston walls painted in Dulux Scape chairs from ‘Wishful.’ Timber hoop- Grazia and Co pine ply walls with matt and Temperature polyurethane finish. Design dining tables. Suite five pelmets Reception features 1 Entry painted in Haymes Kohde reception Suite Five 2 Sitting area Paint ‘Deep Bronze desk, Diva stool in 3 Bedroom area Green’ and Dulux black from Grazia ‘Wishful.’ Suite six and Co and custom- 11 4 Bathroom 5 Reception plaster ceiling painted made bench seat.

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